24 THE GARDEN, YOU, AND I 



her that telephones, whatever may be said to the con- 

 trary, are one of the modern aids to domesticity and 

 preventives of gadding, while still keeping one not only 

 in touch with a friend but within range of the voice. 

 Surely there can be no woman so self-sufficient that she 

 does not in silent moments yearn for a spoken word with 

 one of her kind. 



When I had finished sowing my first planting of 

 mignonette and growled at the prospective labour en- 

 tailed by thinning out the fall- sown Shirley poppies 

 (I have quite resolved to plant everything in the vege- 

 table-garden seed beds and then transplant to the 

 flowering beds as the easier task), Lavinia Cortright 

 came up, note-book in hand, inviting herself comfortably 

 to spend the day, and thoroughly inspect the hardy seed 

 bed, to see what I had for exchange, as well as perfect 

 her plan of starting one of her own. 



By noon the sun had made the south corner, where 

 the Russian violets grow, quite warm enough to make 

 lunching out-of-doors possible, and promising to protect 

 Lavinia's rather thinly shod feet from the ground with 

 one of the rubber mats whereon I kneel when I trans- 

 plant, she consented to thus celebrate the coming of 

 the season of liberty, doors open to the air and sun, 

 the soul to every whisper of Heart of Nature himself, 



